BASEBALL; The Yankees Are Keeping Their Seats

By TYLER KEPNER

Published: November 23, 2005

There was almost no chance the Yankees could have made a successful trade for the ace pitcher Josh Beckett this week. All along, the Florida Marlins were seeking to deal with the Boston Red Sox, who had the prospects they wanted and the willingness to assume the rest of Mike Lowell's contract.

But it was telling that the Yankees had no serious interest. If this was a litmus test of the Yankees' stated goal of lowering payroll while retaining their best young players, the Yankees seem to have passed it.

The Yankees, as well as the Marlins and the Red Sox, have not publicly commented on the deal, because it will not be completed until the players pass physicals.

But the Red Sox agreed to trade three prospects -- shortstop Hanley Ramirez and pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Jesus Delgado -- for Beckett and Lowell, meaning the Yankees will see plenty of Beckett, the pitcher who shut them out at Yankee Stadium to finish the 2003 World Series.

For the Yankees, there were too many factors in a potential Beckett deal that made no sense to them. Still, there was one thing that bidding for Beckett might have done: keep a 25-year-old ace away from the Red Sox. In past years, that might have been reason enough for George Steinbrenner, the Yankees' principal owner, to push for a deal, no matter the cost.

Beckett, after all, is a ghost from the Yankees' past, coming off his best season and going to Steinbrenner's bitter rival. But in the surest sign yet that the Yankees may truly be operating differently, they let Beckett go without a fight.

The Yankees had a general idea of what it would take to get Beckett during the general managers meetings two weeks ago. The cost-cutting Marlins made it clear then that a team that traded for Beckett would have to take Lowell, a third baseman, too.

That turned off the Yankees, who shared the common view around baseball that Lowell is overpaid, slow on the bases and declining at the plate. The Yankees believe their station-to-station base running has hurt them in the playoffs the past two seasons, and, of course, they already have Alex Rodriguez at third.

Still, when the Marlins closed in on a deal over the weekend -- first with Texas before the Red Sox met the Marlins' asking price -- the Yankees did investigate. The Marlins asked for starter Chien-Ming Wang in addition to prospects, including the Class AA third baseman Eric Duncan, but indicated that they still preferred the Red Sox deal.

The Yankees passed, just as they have turned down every other proposal teams have made that has included Wang or second baseman Robinson Cano. Wang started Game 2 of the division series as a rookie. Cano, also a rookie, batted .297 and had big hits in October. The Yankees say they will keep them.

General Manager Brian Cashman resisted offers for Cano, Wang and other top prospects at the July 31 trading deadline, and he has maintained that strategy since re-signing with the Yankees last month. That seems to be the consensus throughout the organization, and Cashman is trying to maintain it with more frequent trips to Tampa, Fla., to meet with the Yankees' officials there.

''We've learned over time that when you have pieces that are working here in New York, don't waste your time trying to upgrade something that works,'' Cashman said yesterday. ''Spend your time working on areas that need to be addressed. We're going to embrace the guys we know can thrive in this environment.''

The Yankees already have seven starting pitchers, with Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Shawn Chacon, Aaron Small, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Wang. The two who do not begin the season in the rotation will probably pitch in relief.

Cashman said the Yankees had no interest in trading Pavano, even though he has three years remaining on a four-year, $39.95 million contract that looked like a waste of money last season. Pavano seemed uneasy with his surroundings in spring training, then went 4-6 with a 4.77 earned run average before the Yankees shut him down at midseason with a shoulder injury.

''We signed him for a reason,'' Cashman said. ''Carl Pavano didn't succeed in New York his first year because of an injury. Physically, he wasn't right. When he's physically healthy and ready to go, we expect to see the pitcher we signed.''

The Marlins let Pavano leave after the 2004 season, and after agreeing to trade Beckett and Lowell, they seem poised to dump more veterans. But the Yankees are likely to resist players like first baseman Carlos Delgado, even though the Mets have made at least two offers to Florida for him.

The Yankees' most pressing needs continue to be center field and the bullpen. Improving those areas while cutting payroll and keeping young players is the challenge.

Photo: The Yankees have resisted the temptation to trade the young second baseman Robinson Cano. (Photo by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times)